Blood Life Seeker (33 page)

I laughed.
I bet you just want to taste me right now.

“More than you can imagine,
ma cherie
.”

I flicked him a look, that said
whatever
,
but I couldn't stop smiling.

He continued to watch me as though I was a performance, put on especially for him. His own personal opera; every move I made, followed, every bite I took, devoured with his eyes. By the time I finished the cake I was almost beside myself with lust for him. I had no idea how bad it was for Gregor, I could only imagine from the look in his eyes that he was barely containing himself.

He stood up swiftly and reached for my hand, said something to the maître d' then practically pulled me out the front door and down the street.

“Shouldn't we have paid him?” I asked breathlessly.

“He's put it on my tab.” OK. So, Gregor had a tab at a restaurant. A top French restaurant on the
Champs-Elysées
.
A restaurant where he could not eat the food. Why did that not seem to worry me? Huh.

I followed dutifully behind him for a few metres, then he disappeared down a side alley, pulling me against his body and then crushing me to the brick wall behind my back. It was darker here, we were just out of the light spilling from the pavement of the avenue, in shadow, but I didn't care. His body moulded to the length of mine as his lips traced a trail up my neck, over my jaw and across my cheek. He kissed every inch he could find, tasting, teasing, licking. I knew where he wanted to be, but still he took his sweet time getting there. I wasn't sure if the slow path was for my benefit or his, making the final destination that much sweeter, that much more desirable.

His face buried in my hair, my own hands already tangled in his. I couldn't kiss him back, just had to accept what little pleasure I could get from touching him where I could, his mouth not going anywhere near my lips, but every now and then, so close, so close, that I thought this was it, the wait was over, only to be denied again when he moved away. He hovered over my pulse at the base of my neck, I could feel the tension in him as he struggled to fight the need to bite. He could have tasted what I had eaten through a kiss, but he had denied himself my lips for too long and now he found himself hovering over the sweet smell of my blood, the pulse jumping beneath my skin, no doubt calling to him, enticing him. He groaned, but didn't draw his fangs. It was me who pushed my pulse against his lips, it was me who rubbed my body against the length of him. It was my leg that wrapped around his side and my hand that pushed his head against my skin, forcing his mouth open.

He groaned as his fangs came down and scraped the side of my neck and all I could say was, “Yes.”

The sting of the bite was bitter sweet, a sharp stab that didn't so much as hurt, but made me want more pain, more pleasure. The anticipation of his
Sanguis Vitam
about to come flooding in electrifying. He didn't disappoint, his power washing over me in beautiful rushes of desire, hot waves of pleasure and promises of so much more. My body tightened, the heat flowing down through the centre of me and settling between my legs. He gripped my rear and lifted me off the ground, my other leg wrapping around him, so I was pressed against his groin and could feel the full weight of his desire, rock hard against my sensitive place, only making me want more and more.

He pushed against me, rubbing in a slow circular motion with his hips, making me gasp and dig my nails in through his jacket, making me wet with my need. The circular motion changing to a more rhythmic pumping, a rubbing through the material of his trousers and the thin material of my underwear. My skirt long ago hiked up around my waist like a belt, my legs crushing against him, my body moving with each of his thrusts.

I felt his hands against the skin of my upper thighs, under my underwear against my rear, kneading, pulling, moving again in a circular motion. Which only managed to pull the more intimate places of my body, which were being hammered by the hard length of him, in ways that just sent me groaning and panting and pleading for more.

I felt one of his hands move to the front of his trousers, making his body pull away from mine slightly, while he somehow managed to undo his pants. Lowering them enough for his hard length to escape and then coming back to rub against my underwear. No longer hindered by his clothes, but still not able to make steps any closer to being inside me.

I didn't fight him, I wanted him. And that alone should have made me wake up from the fog which had descended. Even when his hand came back between us, and I felt him simply move my knickers aside, still on me, but out of the way, and then the hard wet tip of him rest against my entrance, eager but waiting for me to object.

He withdrew his fangs and licked the spot he had bitten, bringing his face to look me in the eye. His breath was uneven, his face flushed with more than just my blood and he asked, “Is this what you want?”

I already knew my answer, I had it formed in my head and I opened my mouth to demand it, when I felt it. Stronger than I had ever felt before. Evil-lurks-in-my-city, the Pull that calls to me above all else. And it was shouting.

“Stop,” I breathed.

He looked momentarily disappointed, then embarrassed and then slightly angry. The emotions playing across his features, one after the other, like a movie on a big screen. He recovered himself and pulled away slightly, his erection no longer pressing against my wet folds. I felt bereft, but clear headed, more so than I had ever felt all evening. But, evil was lurking and I couldn't even consider smoothing his ruffled feelings. Someone was about to be hurt and from the level of evil, I had no doubt that it would be fatal.

Gregor lowered me gently to the ground, thank God the wall was behind me, because I don't think I could have stood on my own when his hands left me to quickly make himself presentable again. He ran a hand through his hair as I pulled my underwear back in line and my skirt back down my legs. His eyes unable to meet mine. Aw damn.

“Gregor.”

“I am sorry, Lucinda, I got carried away. I told you once that Nosferatin blood has an effect on me. It seems yours, more so than most. I apologise if I have placed you in a compromising position, it had not been my intention. I swear.”

I took a step away from the wall and didn't collapse, go me! I came around and stood in front of him, placing my hands on his hunched shoulders. He flinched slightly. I didn't have time for this, but I couldn't just leave him to think it had all been him. That I hadn't wanted him as much as he wanted me. I couldn't believe I let it get to that point, let it get so far, but I had, willingly. And I would not let him take the fall for this.

“Gregor. Look at me. Please.” His eyes slowly rose up my body to my face. There was pain in them, such pain it almost made me blanch, but I would not show him my fear. My fear for what he was feeling. I took a breath in. “I wanted you just as much as you wanted me. I still do. I don't know if it's the right thing to do, to want you, but right then, I would not have stopped you for the world, but something is happening. Something I can't ignore.”

He looked puzzled, but his hands had come back up to hold my arms, gently, almost tentatively. “What's wrong?”

There's one thing to be said for master vampires, they are very quick to pick up on a threat. I could feel his body tensing already, preparing for a battle. And I knew it wasn't a battle with me he was gearing up for. He had already sensed I was talking about something else, a threat to both of us.

“I can feel an evil pull, my hunter instincts have kicked in. I can sense where they are and what they are about to do. I have to go help whoever is about to be hurt.”

He relaxed, just a little, not completely. “Leave it to the local Nosferatin, Lucinda. They will take care of it, you are not here to hunt.”

“How many Nosferatins have you got here in Paris?”

“
Two or three within the
Boulevard Peripherique
.” The
Boulevard Peripherique
was the road around central Paris which marked the enormous area all Parisian based vampires were allowed to roam. All vampires stick to the centre of a city, vampire central we call it, its central hub. Paris' zone just happened to be that much bigger than most other cities, due to the number of vampires drawn here by the
Iunctio
's
presence.

“Well, they're probably busy. I can sense four or five groups of evil about to attack. Like a coordinated effort or something.”

Gregor straightened up at that and cocked his head to the side, a look of concentration on his face. “The
Iunctio
is not aware of it. You say groups, is it more than one vampire in each location?”

“Yes.” I started to pull him towards the end of the alley, but he simply stood his ground. There's nothing you can do to move a vampire who does not wish to be moved. It's like they turn to stone or something, you simply can not budge them at all.

“You cannot hunt, Lucinda.”

It might have been the way he said it, but I knew instantly, that I shouldn't have been out of the
Palais
.
That Gregor was breaking the rules by having me outside of the
Iunctio's
building right now.

“I'm not meant to be free on the streets, am I?”

He smiled, a little bit cockily, but not unattractive. He still looked good enough to eat. “There are some benefits to being the Enforcer.”

I just shook my head and then felt the evil getting ready to strike. I gasped at the strength of that pull. I had never denied myself a chase, a hunt, before for this much length of time. Maybe the pull got stronger, the longer I delayed in responding to its call.

“It doesn't matter, Gregor, I have to go to them. I can't resist the urge any longer.”

His fingers tightened on my shoulders and he pulled me closer towards him, as though he was afraid I'd slip away.

“I can't let you.” He didn't sound sorry when he said, it was just a matter of fact.

My stake was out and against his chest in the next instant. Just enough room between us to allow for the action. Any closer and I wouldn't have been able to hold it at the right angle.

“I've staked you before, Gregor, I don't want to do it again, but we both know I can and not kill you, just immobilise you. So what's it going to be? I
am
going to hunt this evil. Are you coming with me to keep an eye on me, or are you waiting here for your vampires to come and remove another stake from your chest?”

His eyes had bled all grey and were now a maelstrom of silver and platinum, so not human looking. So beautiful. He just stared at me for a few seconds, anger and frustration pouring off him in waves, mixed with a little excitement. Huh. The threat of a stake in the chest still did for him, I guess. Good to know.

Finally he removed a hand from my arm, where he had been gripping me tightly and ran it through his hair. “Arghhh! All right then, lead on Hunter.”

I smiled up at him. “You
are
cute when you're angry, aren't you?”

“Isn't that my line?” he whispered into the silence of the darkened alley. His last grip on my arm changing to a soft stroke then released altogether.

I laughed and tried not to smile back. It was hard and I don't think I managed to completely pull it off, but hey. I'd tried.

Then I turned towards the lights of the
Champs-Elysées
and headed towards that Pull.

I knew immediately where they were, down by the
Arc de Triomphe
. Luckily, we weren't that far away, just a couple of blocks, one of them rather long. But I'm fast and there's no denying that Gregor can move with speed when required. I slowed as I came to
Place Charles de Gaulle
, the lights shining on the monument like a beacon calling me in.

“How many are there?” Gregor asked, not even puffed.

I was a little, so I took a few deep breaths in before I answered. “Five.”

He turned to look at me, surprise evident on his face. Vampires don't normally hunt together, they are solitary things. Recently, the
Iunctio
had issued a warning, suggesting that vampires hunt in pairs, in case I managed to
seek
them out and Dream Walk to them, but the order had been removed, when I struck the deal with Gregor. Man, that felt like months ago, was it only weeks, days even?

“So many,” he said and his tone told me this was news to him too.

“Yeah, and they've got a group of humans with them. Somehow they've lured them on to the top of the
Arc de Triomphe
.” Gregor's gaze went to the top of the monument as soon as I had said that, no doubt scanning for movement.

The
Arc de Triomphe
is bigger than it looks in pictures. Up close you feel dwarfed by its sheer size, it's huge. Maybe 50 metres high and just as wide across. Napoleon couldn't have made a more grander statement than commissioning this monument, that was for sure. It was possible to climb the stairs to the roof and the view from the top is said to be impressive, but it was not open to the public tonight. I was glad of that.

“Come on then, let's find the back door.” I took a step towards the behemoth.

“Do you have a plan, Hunter?”

“Not really, we'll just see how the chips fall.”

Gregor followed my steps, keeping pace easily, his legs striding out to full length, so his was simply walking, yet I was kind of jogging. I did hate that sometimes, when you ran with a taller person and they made everything look so easy and graceful and you were running full tilt.

“
Are you always so
laissez faire
?” he asked almost casually. Like we were sitting down to coffee and not running hard out to face rogue vampires on the hunt.

I thought about that for a second. I guess I did kind of follow my gut more than think about my actions, when on a hunt. It was almost like a deeper, more instinctive or intuitive part of me took over when I hunted and I was just along for the ride.

“Yeah, I guess so. So far it's worked.”

“Has it worked against five vampires at once before?”

“Are you trying to make me doubt myself, Gregor?” I didn't say it angrily, there was a smile to my voice. He could say what he liked, this was my territory. It was as easy as breathing air, as natural as the beat of my heart, as necessary as water.

He shook his head and laughed quietly, almost under his breath. “You seem so sure of yourself, so....certain. Like nothing could stop you now. Not even a rampaging pack of rogue vampires. It's....extraordinary.”

“Yeah, that's me. Unafraid.” OK, so that was a little sarcastic, but Gregor either didn't pick up on my tone, or chose to ignore it.

“Sometimes frighteningly so.”

I just shook my head at him, but we'd found the door, so my hand slipped in my jacket and retrieved the stake I had threatened Gregor with just before, from its hiding place, my other hand rested on the door itself. I'd popped the stake back in its pocket as soon as we had left the alley. It's so much easier to run with your hands free, don't ask me why, balance or something. Or the lack of having to hide a nasty looking weapon from the general public. But, I wanted it out and ready now, you never knew where the bogeyman would spring from.

Although, I did have one advantage up my sleeve. I sent my senses out, locating all the vampires and making sure none were hiding behind the door, waiting to ambush us on the narrow stairs inside. They were all on the roof, but I was also no longer naïve. Humans could have been helping them, so the stake stayed out.

“Ready?” I asked over my shoulder.

Gregor just huffed an indignant sound at me, as if to say
I was born ready, get on with it
.

I fought a smile and opened the door slowly. No surprises hidden in the shadows within, so I let me eyes adjust to the dim interior and when I could make out the shape of the stairs inside, slipped in. Gregor following behind, closing the door quietly. We heard a scream from up the stairs then and I almost started running at full speed, heedless of any further obstacles that may have been in my path, my only desire to get to the human whose cry that had come from. It was full of terror and a realisation that things were so, so very bad. Whatever the evil bastards were doing, they weren't expending any energy to make it seem pleasurable for the humans involved.

I did manage to stop myself tearing off up the stairs in a stupid burst of speed though, even before Gregor's hand came down on my shoulder. He released his grip, as soon as he realised I had got myself under control and wasn't about to run head on into a trap blindly. I took the treads more slowly, one at a time, head cocked to the side trying to listen for sounds of life around each corner. I even realised I had started using my nose, to sniff the air, like a dog, or more accurately a vampire. Trying to smell an emotion on the air in front of me, or more basic smells, like sweat and dirty skin. Nothing seemed to be waiting. Even though my body kept telling me to be cautious, my mind had already come to the conclusion that these guys didn't want the battle inside, on the stairs, they wanted whatever Nosferatin came to them, to find them on the roof. Why?

Surely an ambush on the stairs would have been better, easier, quicker. They would have had the higher ground, the upper hand. And I knew this was an ambush. These vampires were hunting in the open, flaunting the rules, reeking evil in a purposeful way, they
wanted
to be caught. But why?

I didn't have the answers right now, those would be found on the roof, so I picked my speed up and Gregor didn't try to stop me, so he must have come to the same conclusions too.

It was a long way to the top and I mean a looooong way. I am fit, don't get me wrong, but stairs have always been a challenge for me. My legs are short. You wouldn't think that would matter, but for some reason the height of each step here was just a little too much for my comfort. I have trained on stairs before and lots of them,
but I was still struggling with the size of these steps. My speed had buttoned off and my legs were starting to ache, almost shaking with each step I took. I think I was still going fast though, faster than a human, but the screams had become more desperate from the roof top and my thoughts were giving me away.

Gregor didn't even ask. He simply picked me up in his arms and flew. I have been held in vampire arms before when they fly, it's freaky. That's Freaky with a capital F. I try not to do it too often and I think most vamps who know me, know it's not something I would normally accept. But, he'd read my mind, he'd heard the frustration in my thoughts, the desperation and defeat that I had begun to feel. So, I didn't argue, just used the moment to slow my breathing and centre myself for what was to come.

He stopped just before the last bend in the stairs and placed me back on my feet. I rested my hand against his chest to get my balance. He wasn't even breathless, his chest barely rising and falling, the small movements almost an afterthought. And it probably was. More a reflex action brought on by centuries of attempting to blend in with humans. Unnecessary to live, but necessary to survive.

I glanced up at his face, he wore an eager expression. Vampires like confrontation, they do not shy away like most humans do. He was ready and almost enthusiastic for what lay beyond the next bend. I suddenly had an insight into why he was the
Iunctio's
Enforcer, he was no doubt going to be very good at this.

I pushed that thought aside and silently crept around the corner, not hesitating when I came to the door at the top and pulling it open.

If the vampires on the roof had been surprised they certainly didn't show it when I stepped out with a stake in hand. However, a brief flash of fear did cross their features when Gregor followed behind me, coming into full view a second after they had seen me. It didn't do much for my confidence, but then I've never really needed my enemy to think me a great challenge, to be able to hold my head up high. The more they thought Gregor the greater danger, the easier my job would be.

I took the scene in with one quick glance. All the vampires were spaced out evenly, on the opposite side of where the door came out, some 5 -10 metres away. There was none behind us that I could sense, but I shouted in my head to Gregor to check for humans behind where we were. He must have heard, and must of done it, because he whispered, “None.”

My eyes hadn't left the group of evil in front of me. Each vampire was dressed in fighting black. Well presented, nice attire and well groomed hair. These were not your average rogue vampires, wasting away, crazed with blood lust, unable to function in normal society any more. These were well kept little vamps, which made me think, they were following a command. Why else would they be acting out like this? The thought didn't make me feel any better.

Each vampire was holding a human, all of them had been fed on. So, you could bet each of of these evil creatures was at full strength, full of fresh human blood, ready to face whatever came their way. They were all up against the railing at the side. It's quite high, no doubt for safety reasons, so I didn't think it would pose a threat unless they decided to jump up on it and over the side. Some of the humans looked unconscious, others had eyes so wide, all you could see was white.

“So, what's up?” No one had spoken, so I thought it was time to get this ball rolling. Unfortunately, they weren't entirely used to my Kiwi accent and colloquial turn of phrase, so they only looked puzzled, not scary, for a split second. But the scary returned.

“Can you not hunt alone, Nosferatin? Do you need the Enforcer to hold your hand?” This from a vampire off to the side. I hadn't picked him as the leader, but he was the only one to speak, so he got my attention. My peripheral vision not leaving the rest, but my head turning slightly to look him in the eyes.

He'd recognised Gregor, but Gregor hadn't responded. I had no idea what he was showing them on his face, but he was leaving this up to me. I was the hunter, this was my hunt. He might be the
Iunctio's
Enforcer, but even he wouldn't have been called in for this under normal circumstances, this was entirely my show.

“
Actually, he's here to make sure I don't do too much damage. I tend to get carried away on a hunt. I'm currently under investigation for going
above
and
beyond
the call of duty.” It was all a lie, but vamp boy didn't know it.

He flicked a look at Gregor, must have seen something that made him believe what I had said and then returned his now slightly uncertain gaze back to me. I just smiled sweetly.

“You are not French. You should not be hunting here.”

“International Hunting Exchange. It's new. You probably haven't heard of it.”

“Enough!” This time from a vampire in the centre. So, we'd found the leader finally. I pulled my attention slowly away from the first vampire and took in the one right across from me on the roof. Now this one I could believe was the guy in charge.

He was tall and dressed the same as the others, with long blonde hair tied back at the
nape of his neck. It wasn't so much how he dressed, or the fact that he was undoubtedly handsome in that vampire kind of way they all had, but the way he held himself, that led you to believe he was in charge. I should have picked up on it sooner, but it had been a long night.

“You think this is a game? We have five humans here, all of which we intend to kill. What say you, Nosferatin?”

“You don't seem to be like your average rogue vampire. What's got your knickers in a twist to be making such a scene?”

I know it was childish of me, but I did love vampires cringing at my language. Sometimes they just didn't get me and took themselves
way
too seriously. Even vampire hunters have to have pet hobbies.

“We are not rogue.” He spat the word rogue out as though it tasted bitter. “We are the answer to your prayers.”

I laughed out loud, this guy really was a card. “How do you know what I pray for, vampire?”

It was his turn to laugh and it was scary, like the rest of him. It didn't run over my arms and cause me pain, it slipped into my mind, bypassing my multitude of shields and whispered,
I
can see your heart's desire. You want her dead, so do I.

I shuddered as the whisper caressed my mind and withdrew slowly. I felt, more than saw, Gregor stand a little closer to me. I don't think he'd had his mind raped, like me, but he'd either heard the words inside my head, or picked up on my discomfort. Either way, his body was now screaming tension.